You care about your pet, but how do you choose what kind of pet food to buy? Unfortunately, it is not always easy to discern. The most popular or recognizable brand may be the one most widely advertised but not comprised of superior ingredients. This is because companies spend millions annually to sell their product. One of the best indicators of quality is price. The cheaper brand is the surest sign of inferior quality.

It is crucial that the food products you choose for your fully grown dog include 22-25% protein and 15-19% fat. The protein should also be of superior quality. Nutritional needs vary for young dogs, especially big ones, and ones that are particularly active. Be certain to talk about this with your dog's doctor to insure that your pet is getting the right nourishment.

To determine which pet food is best for your pet, you need to know which ingredients are better so that you can make a good choice. You should be looking for human-grade ingredients, such as turkey, fish, lamb, or chicken meal, rice, potatoes, sunflower oil, and vegetables. Grains should not be among the first four ingredients in a quality dog food. Proteins, especially meat, should be present in the largest quantities. Pedigree dog food and Flint River Ranch dog food satisfy all of these criteria.

Be sure to see if it says that chicken is the main ingredient and not chicken meal. Chicken only refers to the fact that the entire chicken goes towards the overall protein value. Chicken meal differs in that the protein is cooked down to a version that is not appropriate for your pet in that it does not have other byproducts such as vitamins and fatty acids. These byproducts are essential ingredients in dog food.

Some of the ingredients that you don't want to see on your dog food label include: Inferior protein which consists of but not limited to variations of the following: Wheat, Corn, Chicken by-products, Soy, Gluten. These ingredients are hard to digest and can cause health problems later on if used for a long period of time. Sugar is another ingredient that you want to stay away from.

While it is imperative that you always adhere to your veterinarian's food suggestions, you should know that the fact is most veterinary schools do not teach veterinarians about nutrition. It is understandable that you would expect your vet to know your dog's nutritional needs, but you should nonetheless be prepared to discuss this with your vet in some detail, as the majority of information vets get about nutrition comes from the commercial pet food manufacturers themselves. Now it is true that diets which are occasionally prescribed specifically for dogs with certain health-related issues or of a certain age can be quite costly and these prescriptions may (or may not) be properly formulated nutritionally for the needs of such dogs, so pet owners will often change to a commercial food, whether to suit the dog's palate or their own wallets. However, this can cause the pet's health to suffer. Therefore, what is best for your particular dog should be left up to your veterinarian and their staff.